Record-filing device



June 5, 1923.

' T. SP1-:NGE

RECORD FILING DEVICE Filed March l5. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Till/0mm June 5, IQZE.

T. SPENCE RECORD FILING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March l5, 1922 if@ '5 j?? Ww -g9 E3 6 27 a g ilya y 3 u* A\ E5 33 3 3g J5 fu k l l l 12 14 l@ X13 ZW/U71" .Thomspgnee Patented .lune 5, i923.

l taaie naar THOMAS SPENGE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CARLETON E. DAVIS, 0E PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

RECORD-FILING DEVICE.

Application filed March 15, 1922. Serial No. 543,963.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, THouAs SPECE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Record-Filing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in filing cards for accounts and records of various kinds and in containers for storing them in series.

Heretofore cards of this class have been centrally perforated near the bottom thereof for the reception of a retaining rod, and the containers for storing the cards in series have been provided with rods each of which extended through the perforations of the cards of the series thereof stored within its container and prevented the removal of any card from the series or its change of posi tion within the series. The cards have rested normally on the bottom of the container and were prevented thereby and by the side walls of the container from being turned about the axis of the retainingrod while the rod prevented any card from being raised relatively to the other cards of the series, so that in order to read a card it was necessary to separate the series to provide a space in front of the card to be read and to push back the upper portion thereof until the card being read assumed a slight incline limited by the number of cards back of it and their engagement with the retaining rod. This has been objectionable' because the provision of the necessary room for spacing the cards for reading purposes has limited the capacity of the container and because reading has been diiiicult even when liberal room has been allowed for theI separation of the cards on account of the fact that the bottom of the card could not be raised from the bottom of its series within the container, and the diiculty has been enhanced when the container has been a low drawer in a cabinet of card-containing drawers.

The object of the invention is to overcome the aforesaid objectionable. characteristics and the same is accomplished by the provision of .filing cards and a container therefor of novel, simple and efficient construction in which a. retaining rod of the container prevents the removal therefrom of back on a hinge connecting it with an edge portion thereof into a convenient position above the series for reading after iirst being moved up from its normal position within the series. l

Vth the above object in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustratinfr my invention,

i1igure l is a perspective view of a cardcontainer provided with cards embodying my invention, one of the cards being shown as moved from its normal position within the container to a convenient position for reading.

Figure 2 is a transverse section through the container showing by dotted lines and by dot-anddash lines two positions of one of the cards away from its normal position within the container.

Figure 3 is a transverse section through a container showing a modication of the invention.

Figure 4 is a sectional detail, showing the forward end portion of the retaining rod and a portion of the forward wall of the container.

Figures 5 and 6 are views of the filing cards shown in Figs. 2 and 3, respectively, removed from their containers.

Figures 7 and 8 are views of modified forms of filing cards.

Figure 9. is a sectional detail, on line 9-9 of Fig. 5, showing the hinge connection of two parts of a card.

Referring to the drawings, 2 designates a series of filing cards and 3 a container therefor.

The container 3 may be of any shape and size for its intended purpose. As herein illustrated, it is in the form of a drawer adapted to be used in a cabinet c'ontaining other similar drawers for the storage of cards. The drawer 3 has an open top and it comprises a front wall 4, a bottom wall 5, side walls 6 and a brace 7 connecting the rearward end's oi the side walls 6, all suitably secured together. The bottom wall 5 of the drawer 3` has a longitudinal depression 9 therein in which is secured a guiding plate 1() for a back plate or wall 11. which extends upwardly back ot the series of cards 2 to support the same and which is adjustable toward and from the front wall 4 to provide the desired space between the walls 4 and 11 tor the number ot cards oi" the series, the wall 11 being adjusted from time tovl time to increase the space between the front and back walls as more cards are added to the series.

The drawer or container 3 as thus tar described is of common and well-known construction and no detailed illustration or description thereof is deemed necessary herein.

rIhe cards ot the series 2 have horizontal dimensions slightly less than the distance vbetween the side walls 6 ot the container and the vertical dimensions ot the cards are greater than the distance between the bottom of theA container 3 and the top ot' its side walls 6 s'o that when the cards 2 rest upon the bottom wall 5l the upper portions thereof will extend above the side walls 6, as clearly shown in the drawings.

Each card of the series, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 5 and 9 comprises a main body portion 12 and a lateral edge portion 13 hingedly connected to the main body ortion 12, at 14, by means oi a thin strip 0"" tough paper or other suitable material 15 pasted' to the backs off the Portionsl or sections 12 and 13 and crossing thel joint between them, permitting the body portion 12 to be turned backward on the hinge 14 tor a purpose presently appearing; and the edge portion 13 of each card 2 hasy a vertical slot 16 therein which extends from a point near the top thereof to the centralv port-ion thereof, as illustrated.

The container 3y is provided with a retainin rod 17 which extends horizontally through the upper end portions of the slots 16` ot thez entire series of cards 2. rIhe rearward end 'of the rod. 17 rests normally within an opening 18 in a plate or bracket 19 secured to the brace 7 and from: which the rod 17 may be withdrawn when desired. rI`he forward end portion ot the rod 17 is enlarged and threaded, at 20, and screwed into an opening 21 in the front wall 4 of the container 3. The forward end of the threaded portion 20 terminates in a suitable knob 'or head 21a by means of which the rod 17 may be turned to screw the portion 20 thereof into or from the threads o'l the opening- 21, and by means of which the rod 17 may be withdrawn tromy the, openings 16, 18, and 2 1 andreturned thereto when it is,v desired to. remove a card or cardsl from the series 2 or add a card or cards thereto.

The cards 2 rest normally within the container 3, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and when it is desired to read the matter recorded on the forward face ot a card.,y it may be raised relatively to the container 3 and retaining rod 17 and the 'remainder-ot the cards ot the series to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, and then turned about the axis 'ot the rod 17 to the position shown by dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 2, bringing the main body portion 12 ot the car-d above the remainder of the series Kot cards and permitting it to be turned back on its hinge 14 into an upwardly facing position, as shown in Fig. 1, permitting the matter recorded on its tace to be conveniently read or additional matter to be conveniently recorded thereon. A reversal ot the operation just described will return thc card to its normal position in the series otl cards within the container.

The rod 17 while permitting individual cards to be moved from and returned to the series of cards for reading and recording, as just described, prevents the entire removal of any card trom the series and always retainsa portion of any card, in any position to which it may be adjusted, either forwardly or back of an adjacent card of the series or between two adjacent. cards` of the series in the place where it belongs in the series and prevents it from beingl returned to a wrong position within the series.

In the construction shown in Figs. 3 and 6 the container 3' is'provided with two parallel retaining rods 22 which extend throughl the upper end portions of parallel vertical slots 23 formed in cards 24 near the lateral edges thereof and each card 24 comprises an upper main body portion 25 and a lower edge portion 26 hingedly connected, at 27, to the body portion 25. When it.. is 'desired 't0 read or record matter on the torwvardvv tace of a card 24, it isl raised from the full-line position shown in Fig. 3 tothe doteand-dfa'sh line position shown therein and thereafter its body portion 25 is turned back on the hinge 27 to face upwardly for convenient reading or recording.

In Fig. 7 I have shown a cardj 12@v which is like the lcards shown in Figs. 1, 2, 5 and 9, excepting that a round hole 29 is provided for the reception of the rod 17 instead of the slot 16. To read a card 122t ot a series thereof retained in the container 3 by the rod 17 it is merely necessary to turn the card 28 about the axis of' the rod17 until the main body portion thereof is raised above the remaining cards ot its series and then turn it back on its hinge 14 to face upwardly. When the cards 1 2'a are, used, it is necessary to provide sufficient, clearance between the edge 30 thereof and the adjacent side wall 6l of the container 3j to permit the card to be turned, as described,

or cut the corner 31 from the card 28 on the dot-and-dash line 32.

In Fig. 8 I have shown a card 33 like the cards shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5 excepting that the body portion 12 and lateral edge portion 13 are formed in a single piece 34 eliminating the hinge 14. When the hinge is thus eliminated, the body of the card 33 may be flexed backward to cause its face to be directed upwardly for reading after first being moved to a position similar to the position of the card shown by dot-anddash lines in Fig. 2.

I claim as my invention:

1. A card container having an open top and a retaining rod extending rom the front to the rear near one side of the top thereof, in combination with a tiling card of a series thereof having substantially a vertically extending slot closed at its top and at its bottom and located near the top and near a lateral edge thereof through which the rod extends, preventing the removal of the card from the rod, said card being free to be moved up and down and turned about the axis of the rod.

2. A card container having an open top and a retaining rod extending from the front to the rear near one side of the top thereof, n combination with a tiling card comprising a main body portion and a narrower lateral edge portion hingedly connected thereto and having substantially a vertically extending slot therein through which the rod extends, preventing the removal of the card from the rod, and permitting the [card to be moved bodily up and down and turned about the axis of the rod, and permitting the main body portion of the card to be turned on its hinge connection relatively to said edge portion of the card after the card has been raised from a normal position within the container and turned about the axis of the rod.

3. A filing card comprising a main body portion and a narrower vertically extending edge portion hingedly connected thereto and having substantially a vertically extending slot therein for the reception of a retaining rod.

In testimony whereof I alix my signa-ture hereto.

THOMAS SPENCE. 

